FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JFK - PAGE 3

David Riddle could only describe his performance at the 49th annual JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon with one word Saturday. “Surreal,” he said. “I would say it's a dream come true, but I can't really say that because I could never even dream it.” Riddle, 30, of Cincinnati, overtook prerace favorite Michael Wardian with about 4 1/2 miles left and prevailed in a course-record time of 5 hours, 40 minutes, 45 seconds. Wardian, 37, of Arlington, Va., finished second in 5:43:24, also eclipsing the previous course-record mark of 5:46:22, set in 1994 by Eric Clifton.

Sometimes, love hurts. Max King can attest to that. He was in pain on Saturday and loving every minute of it. “Wow! That hurt!” he exclaimed as he crossed the finish line of his first JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon, just in front of Williamsport's Springfield Middle School. His agony was ecstasy. What wasn't there to love? King won the race. It wasn't just any race, run on just any course to achieve just any accomplishment. He covered the 50.2-mile course in a record 5 hours, 34 minutes and 58 seconds to win the milestone 50th edition of “America's Ultramarathon,” the largest, oldest and quite possibly most prestigious such event in the country.

This year's 50th running of the JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon will still include a 13-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, but organizers will look at ways to expand the field of entrants in future years while maintaining a limit of 1,000 runners on that portion of the course. The Cumberland Valley Athletic Club, which organizes the race, and the National Park Service reached an agreement last month to allow continued use of the trail for this year's race on Nov. 17 and in subsequent races, JFK co-Director Mike Spinnler said Monday.

"Good morning. " "Thanks for being out here. " "Have a great day. " If I heard those comments once, I heard them a hundred times - or more - from the 1,000 or so runners in last weekend's JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon. As a race volunteer, I was positioned at the White Rocks overlook atop South Mountain. I had awakened at 4:30 a.m., driven to the top of Lamb's Knoll and hiked about a half-mile into the woods along the Appalachian Trail to reach my assigned post.

Ultramarathon runner Dink Taylor's time of 7 hours, 40 minutes in the 50th annual JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon on Saturday was 41 minutes slower than his performance in last year's event. Pretty remarkable considering that just three months ago, he was fighting for his life. The 47-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., came down with a severe headache Aug. 29 and it landed him in the hospital for 10 days. While there, doctors told Taylor that he had suffered a stroke and had a 40 percent chance of death or paralysis, and a 70 percent chance of death if he experienced any further brain hemorrhaging.

Hagerstown residents Mike Hennesy and Dick Martin weren't in Washington, D.C., Monday for the inauguration of President Obama, but they played a role in an inaugural parade more than 50 years ago. Hennesy and Martin were members of the South Hagerstown High School band that marched in the Jan. 20, 1961, inaugural parade for John F. Kennedy. One of their memories of that day is the weather. “I can't ever remember it being that cold, and it just wouldn't go away,” Martin, 67, said.

Nelson at home in JFK By DAN KAUFFMAN / Staff Writer WILLIAMSPORT - Eight years after her last John F. Kennedy 50-mile appearance, South Hagerstown and Hagerstown Community College graduate Laura Nelson returned in style Saturday. continued The 1991 and 1992 JFK women's champion added the 2000 crown to her resume by clocking the third-fastest women's time in event history - 6 hours, 59 minutes, 13 seconds. "I wanted to break seven hours, and I knew I had to pick it up (in the closing mile)

Jesse Garrant's goal in his first ultramarathon isn't just to cross the finish line at the JFK 50 Mile, but to finish the rigorous test of human endurance with a smile. The 39-year-old native of Plattsburgh, N.Y., said he's ready for what he described as “the next challenge” in his life after running several marathons, including the Pittsburgh Marathon and the local Freedom's Run this year. “I like to set goals, I like to set challenges, and this one will be exciting,” said Garrant, who learned of the race after moving to Berkeley County about two years ago. Garrant, a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard, said one of his colleagues at the National Maritime Center in Martinsburg had run the JFK 50 Mile and had a bib number from the race at the office.

Last fall's annual JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon raised funds for nonprofit organizations through entry fees and sponsorships. The JFK 50 Mile donated $10,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that assists men and women of the armed forces who have been severely injured during conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world. The program helps veterans enjoy sports, including skiing, fishing and running. Some of the competitors in the 2008 ultra-marathon individually raised money and awareness for the program.

Pete Breckinridge, a 36-year-old resident of Norfolk, Va., won the 44th annual JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon in 6 hours, 4 minutes and 40 seconds. 50-year-old Barry Salisbury of Middletown, Md. was the top finisher in the women's division, and 35-year-old Scott Draper of Williamsport was the top Washington County runner. See Sunday's Herald-Mail for the full stories.